Lost Beauty (The Deadly Beauties Live On 4)
Okay, so that’s back to reason number one.
“What are you thinking?” she asks as I turn down another street that seems to have received less damage.
I’m thinking I’m a savage right now and having just the dragon inside me is wreaking havoc on my sensibility.
Obviously I don’t tell her that.
“I’m thinking I need to show you what you’ve been missing. After I get you safely tucked into a room.”
She waggles her eyebrows, something so uncharacteristic for her. She seems a little carefree, despite the dire circumstances. Human is actually becoming on her—if it didn’t make her so motherfucking fragile.
“Not like that,” I mumble, finding it odd she laughs so freely at my response. “I’m too much for you now.”
“Egotistical much?” she teases.
My lips twitch as she grins broadly, her face transforming. Humans aren’t supposed to have the same effect on you as an immortal. She’s as human as all the ones running scared through the streets right now, yet she’s still under my skin, possibly even more so.
I finally find a hotel that looks doable. Thankfully I have my wallet with me. I can’t remember the last time I checked
into a hotel legitimately.
Once I give a quick scan of the lobby, I decide it’s safe for Kya to be on her feet. My protective instincts are running wild right now.
The power flickers ominously, but stays on just as we reach the front desk. The woman behind it seems completely unfazed by all the madness going on, as though this is just another day.
She gives a rueful smile. “Can I get you a room?”
Chapter 20
CHAZ
Kya is kicked back on the bed when I return, her feet propped on a pillow as she watches TV. She doesn’t even notice me come in with her hearing being so... human. The TV is loud enough to mask the sound of my entrance, so I take a moment to watch with appreciation.
I’ve been rushing around, possibly using too much speed, because I couldn’t keep calling her every two seconds. I think she was getting annoyed with the fact I was panicking about her being okay without me.
My arms are loaded down with things to entertain her for the night, but she’s the one entertaining me at the moment.
She’s just wearing her underwear, and she’s laughing at whatever is being said on the TV. I’m too distracted with her to notice what’s even playing.
The sound of her laughter is infectious, causing my own smile to spread for no other reason. Deciding I could stare at her all night but the food would get cold, I break the spell by startling her with my ‘sudden’ arrival.
She spots me and jerks at first, reaching for a knife she won’t find. When she sees me, she calms and flashes her smile at me. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“Why is it that the world is in complete disarray, yet you finally seem a little... freer?”
Her smile falters, and I hate myself for asking.
“Because I feel like I have...” Her words trail off as she looks over at the clock. “Twenty more hours before my shoe fits again.”
“Your shoe fits again?”
She frowns. “I said that wrong, didn’t I? I once heard the story of Cinderella from one of the cage women a few years after I was taken. There was something about a shoe and midnight...”
I’m not sure whether to feel depressed that she’s only ever heard Cinderella once, or endeared by how vulnerable and open she seems right now.
Her stomach rumbles loudly again, and she mutters something about it being an angry asshole. Laughing under my breath, I spread all the food out on the extra bed, since this room lacks a table or any other surface big enough for use.
She hops up and snatches a piece of pizza, and I try not to focus on the fact she’s mostly naked, other than the thin black bra and panties.